


Farmers on Venus or Engineers on Mars

by wneleh



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-24
Updated: 2016-07-24
Packaged: 2018-07-26 09:10:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7568464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wneleh/pseuds/wneleh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“There could be a reality where you and I were never taken by the Venusians.”/”There could be a reality where our parents never migrated to Mars, and we’re pop culture icons.”/”There could be a reality where we’re engineers on Mars or farmers on Venus.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Farmers on Venus or Engineers on Mars

**Author's Note:**

> This is a riff on the GMMore [Rhett's Not-Naked Selfie](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTuKtKkqbGE).
> 
> Beyond what's borrowed (and altered) from that episode, this is completely made up.

A man in a pressure suit, breathing oxygen from a tank, turns two knobs at once. It’s past the appointed time, and he’s worried.

A man in a glass bubble, his back to his floating farm, looks toward the farthest methane inductors, and thinks, I’m here, where are you?

And a man in Burbank, holding a child’s shoe in one hand and a bagel in the other, feels his phone vibrate in his front right pocket and thinks, finally.

Rhett’s voice is there and gone in a flash – Link has turned the nob too fast. He inhales and exhales slowly, then turns the nob gradually back, giving the antenna time to react.

Link tries to empty his mind, to receive Rhett’s thoughts, but they are so far away, and though Link’s mind skills in general are considered superior, distant thought has always been hard, even with Rhett.

Link doesn’t want to misplace the shoe or ruin the bagel, but he especially doesn’t want to miss this call. He puts the bagel in his mouth as he extracts his phone, then says, “Em-lo.” This isn’t going to work; he sadly puts the bagel down. They need to get moving anyway if they’re going to get to church on time.

Rhett’s voice, in his ear, in his mind, seems a little odd, and Link hopes it’s just from lack of use. They haven’t spoken since Rhett left the bunker at dawn to check on the solar arrays / set off to redirect the migration of their herd of methanoids / got out of Link’s car and walked into his empty house Friday evening, excited to spend Easter weekend camping alone in the desert.

“What’s wrong?” Link asks, and Rhett’s hesitation raises the hairs on the back of his neck.

“I’ve been thinking,” Rhett responds. “About multiverse theory.”

This does nothing to calm Link.

“I’ve been thinking that there are universes where you and I are living very different lives…”

Link adjusts a nob, struggles to keep his mind clear, is relieved of the shoe by Christy, who hands it to Lando and then ushers them all out the door. “What’s wrong?” she mouths. Link shakes his head but mouths back, “You drive.”

“I mean, there could be a reality where you and I were never taken by the Venusians.”/”There could be a reality where our parents never migrated to Mars, and we’re pop culture icons.”/”There could be a reality where we’re engineers on Mars or farmers on Venus.”

“We wouldn’t have thought communication if we’d stayed on Earth.” Link is sure of this.

“We’d never have met Jessie or Christy, or each other, if all our parents hadn’t been recruited by NASA forty years ago.”

“If I’d wanted to be a farmer or an engineer I’d have stayed in North Carolina.”

In every reality, Rhett’s thought this through. In every reality, he’s considered the ramifications. “I can almost see myself living these different lives.” And in every reality, Link listens, while he watches dust swirl.

In every reality, this seems dangerous. It flashes through Link’s mind that he could lose Rhett, HIS Rhett, to these other realities, if they’re not careful. Or lose Rhett to the thought of them. 

“I wish you weren’t out there by yourself,” he finally thinks, finally says. “It’s not good for you.”

“No, no, it’s fine,” Rhett thinks and says. 

There’s silence for a moment, that chills Link’s blood.

Then from Rhett, in every reality: “Mostly I feel so sorry for those other versions of me. I’m so glad I’m living this life. I’m glad we know each other.”

“I’m glad too,” Link responds. But still, he’s scared. But still, this feels dangerous, this feels like territory that one should never explore.

“Come back as soon as you can,” he implores in every reality, and in every reality Rhett slowly agrees. 

Link can’t keep his thoughts fully focused for much longer – his head is starting to pound, but he says, “How about you stay linked up a while, while I sing something. Just to pass the time.” A feeling of wordless gratitude comes over him; and he wonders how he would ever survive without full connection. 

Link needs to get some work done while he’s out of the bunker, and also he’s going to lose daylight in a few hours. As is Rhett. “Let’s get our families together tonight, pull out the instruments and sing a little? After Easter service?” “That’d be great,” Rhett replies. “I’ve actually been working on a couple of songs…”

As he walks into church, Link says, “How about I keep the line open?” He slips his still-connected cell phone into his pocket as the congregation sings its first allelujah.

* * * THE END * * *


End file.
